Video data, including audio-video data, is increasingly distributed over computer networks, telecommunications networks, and combinations of such networks, for the viewing and enjoyment of network users. Video data is often distributed as discrete video files or video clips posted on social networking websites, as a way for members of such sites to share video content with members of a social group. Video files or clips are also frequently distributed by posting on public forum websites, where access to the video is available to the general public and is not restricted to a particular group of users. Both public forums and social network sites may often include features that enable users to post comments about any posted content, including video content. Such features may cause comments about posted video content to appear adjacent to a video link to the video content. The comments adjacent to the video link may be visible to a user's designated “friends” (i.e., members of the social network that share access to the user's content) when posted by the user or to the general public, and be presented in an interface that enables a comment thread to be developed from additional user comments responding to the original comment or video content. Through these connections, users may share video and other content including recommendations and commentary with friends or others.
For example, a user may view a video on a video content distributor website such as www.hulu.com or the like, and decide to post it on a social networking website, such as www.facebook.com or www.twitter.com for example. The video website may enable such sharing by presenting one or more icons related to different social networks. By selecting a “share” icon, a window may pop up on the video content site and prompt a user to insert a comment to accompany the video. The user may then enter a comment, and post a link to the video and comment to the user's homepage of the social network chosen, via a content sharing module of the video content distribution site in cooperation with the social networking site. Notwithstanding the advantages of prior video commenting methods, such methods may be subject to certain limitations. For example, prior commenting methods do not enable commentators to conveniently direct an intended audience to a precise portion of video content, nor to indicate such portion in an iconic manner. These and other limitations of prior video commenting methods may be overcome by the novel methods and apparatus disclosed herein.